Tag Archive for: organizing tips for families

Staying organized during the holidays

5 Helpful tips on how to stay organized during the holidays

  1. Write everything down. Make shopping list, to do list, mailing list, decorations list, meal list. Getting it out of your head really does help.
  2. Delegate tasks to others and allow them to do it their way. Examples are household chores, grocery shopping, trips to the post office.
  3. Simplify and reduce to save time. Bag gifts instead of wrapping them. Put up minimal decorations. Reduce your gift exchange list and your charitable donation list.
  4. Hire someone else to clean.
  5. Give experiences instead of things.

Winter wardrobe prep

I know it’s only October, and you don’t want to be reminded of the cold winter days ahead. But they’re coming. Soon we’ll be dressing in layers, wearing wool socks and sweaters, and pulling on winter boots. A bit of winter wardrobe prep can make the transition easier.

Preparation steps:

  1. Wash tank tops, shorts, bathing suites, and summer dresses, before packing them away until next summer.
  2. Evaluate the items you’re packing away to determine if they’re worth keeping
  3. Swap out summer hats, scarves, leggings, footwear, pocketbooks, and jewelry for winter options.
  4. Add fall layering pieces to your wardrobe. This includes turtlenecks, slippers, bathrobes, and warmer Pjs.
  5. Once it gets colder add winter coats, gloves, and boots.

5 Easy Steps to Seasonal Clothing Swap

Organizing tipIf you’re like me, your closet is tiny and can’t accommodate your complete wardrobe. So we need to preform the seasonal clothing swap. Early spring and fall are when I do my swaps.

Steps for spring:

  1. Wash winter coats, hats, gloves, scarves and pack away until next winter. Clean and condition winter boots before packing away. Don’t forget those wool socks, fleece socks, winter slippers and bathrobes.
  2. Remove all wool, cashmere and heavy sweaters from your closet. Pack up all turtlenecks and winter layering pieces.
  3. Add 3-season items and summer layering pieces to your wardrobe.
  4. Swap out winter hats, scarves, leggings, and jewelry for lightweight options.
  5. Once it gets hotter add tank tops, shorts, bathing suites and summer dresses.

Taking some time to evaluate clothing prior to packing it away is a great way to stay organized.

Encourage recycling

Organizing tipIf you’d like to encourage yourself and your family to recycle more change your words. Use the word landfill instead of trash. Every time you’re about to throw something out say, “I’m putting this in the landfill.” This small change will make a difference in how you perceive discarded items.

Research shows the context of a word sways people’s judgment and decision making.

People Matter More

Organizing tipSpending money on the upkeep of our homes is important. Scheduling time to take care of our things is important. As a Professional Organizer I understand the value of order and maintenance. However, the people in our lives matter more. Scheduling quality time with them and spending money on creating valuable experiences with them is more important. Devote energy and resources to both.